


Change

by devilsfoot



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: M/M, Mirror Universe, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 00:52:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17436740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/devilsfoot/pseuds/devilsfoot
Summary: Spock is left conflicted about the Empire after the alternate Kirk is transported back to his proper universe.





	Change

It had been a simple matter of nerve pinching the guard at the door and circumventing the lock to the captain’s cabin.

He had crept soundlessly into the room, but somehow, Kirk had awakened—perhaps a result of what Kirk had always insisted was human intuition—and was now reaching for the knife he always kept by his bed.

Spock stopped him by pulling Kirk off the bed to a standing position in front on himself. He placed his hands in the tal’shaya position on Kirk’s neck and…stopped.

It would be so easy to put the right amount of pressure and snap the human’s neck. It would be quick and painless. But Spock did not. He knew suddenly and with absolute certainty that he could not kill his captain.

Spock dropped his hands and sat heavily down on the bed. He heard Kirk pick up his knife and waited for the killing blow he knew was coming.

***

Kirk looked at Spock’s bowed head, his cap of black hair shining in the low light of the cabin. His knife was poised to stab his first officer in the heart, but he did something he had rarely done in his life…he hesitated. It would be so easy, so simple, to kill Spock. He should do it, too. Spock had been about to kill him after all. Only he hadn’t, had he?

Kirk knew that Spock couldn’t kill him, just like he now knew he couldn’t kill Spock.

He lowered the knife. Spock looked up in confusion.

Kirk gripped the knife at his side, “I know you don’t want to command, so why?”

“You are not going to kill me?” Spock asked.

“Just answer my question.” Kirk said.

“…Your alternative self convinced me of the illogic of the Empire. I knew I would have to advance my position in order to facilitate my goal of destroying the Empire. To do that I would have to kill you, which I find I cannot do.”

“And why can’t you?”

“I…” Spock seemed on the verge of answering, but then shot back, “Why did you not kill me?”

Kirk thought he knew why they couldn’t kill each other, thought Spock knew it too, but he didn’t respond to the question.

“Well, since we can’t kill each other, I guess we’ll just have to topple the Empire together.” Kirk smirked.

The expression on Spock’s face was priceless. Kirk had never seen him express such emotion before, much less this level of surprise. It was…endearing. It made Kirk decide to do the thing he had been wanting to do for years. He leaned down and pressed his lips to Spock’s, more gently than he could remember touching another in a long time.

They could accomplish together what they never could apart: Change.


End file.
